Is Randy Couture On the Verge of Returning to the UFC?

When it comes to UFC rumors - where there is smoke, there is usually fire.

The online MMA world has been ablaze with Randy Couture rumors over the past couple of days. First there were "well-placed" sources that claimed that Couture was taking time out of his busy schedule to train (for exactly what, they didn't know). Then, rumors started to surface that Couture was going to be fighting Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 in November.

And then tonight, you have MMAJunkie.com publishing an article titled "Sources: Randy Couture willing to fight in the UFC once more." MMAJunkie is a reliable source, and they have quoted multiple sources that claim that Couture is willing to return to the UFC for one more fight. In exchange, he would be released from his contract after the fight.

Not that long ago, I would have put the chances of Couture returning to the UFC at 0%. Now, I would have to say that it is at least 50/50.

Why the change?

A number of reasons, including:

1. Couture is getting older (he is 45 now), and he is likely realizing that he doesn't have that much time left.

2. He has been entangled in a lengthy contract dispute with the UFC, and he likely doesn't see much chance of it getting resolved anytime soon.

3. He may not be as high on fighting Fedor (mainly due to Fedor's impressive destruction of Tim Sylvia at Affliction: Banned).

4. He may see some interesting potential matches in the UFC (against the likes of Lesnar and Nogueira).

5. He likely sees the concession of fighting one more time in the UFC as his only chance of being released from his contract.

A Lesnar / Couture headlined main event would likely come close to breaking the all-time record for UFC PPV buys, so there is definitely some incentive for the UFC to put this fight together. The risk/reward would be very high for the UFC if this match-up did indeed take place. What happens if Couture destroys Lesnar and then leaves the promotion? The Lesnar hype-train would be derailed and the UFC wouldn't be able to capitalize on Couture's success. Would this fight be for the UFC heavyweight title (which Couture still technically owns)? What happens is Lesnar beats Couture? Is he the champion, or is Nogueira?

A Nogueira / Couture match might make sense on the surface, but there are some problems there as well. Nogueira is already set to fight Frank Mir later this year, so he likely wouldn't be ready for a Couture fight until the spring. The UFC can't possibly match up Nogueira and Couture if Couture is planning to leave the UFC after the fight. What happens if he wins? Not only would you not have a heavyweight champion, but you also wouldn't even have an interim champion.

There are some risks in putting Couture against Lesnar, but there is also some tremendous upside. If Couture and the UFC do agree to a one-match deal against Lesnar, then the UFC could officially strip the heavyweight title from Couture before the fight. The winner of the Nogueira / Mir fight would be officially declared the heavyweight champion.

What's the upside? If Lesnar managed to beat Couture, then the UFC will have established Lesnar as a very viable threat in the heavyweight division. Lesnar is worth big money to the UFC, and a Lesnar vs Mir/Nogueira match-up would generate some big money for the promotion.

There are many interesting possibilities here. I believe that a deal will get done, and Couture will fight in the UFC again. I've been wrong before though .. maybe it's just wishful thinking.

Source: Sources: Randy Couture Willing to Fight in the UFC Once More

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